Kirby Smart has learned more than he ever wanted to know about the tight-rope procedure.

The Georgia coach watched his star Brock Bowers injure his ankle Saturday in the win against Vanderbilt. Bowers underwent tight-rope surgery and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks. Smart, though, said there is no timeline for the tight end’s return.

“Brock will take on that same rehab process, and his surgeon and Ron (Courson) will work together on that to get him back. It won’t be done any different,” Smart said. “The key is, we’re trying to get him back healthy. There is no timeline for when he comes back to play. The timeline is when he’s healthy, and I don’t think you could put a timeline on it because historically there’s been guys that came back really fast and guys that have come back really slow. Each one is different.”

Smart said he reached out to SEC colleagues in Auburn coach Hugh Freeze and South Carolina coach Shane Beamer as he learned about the tight-rope procedure.

Auburn defensive back Keionte Scott suffered a high-ankle sprain against Samford on Sept. 16 and underwent a standard tight-rope procedure the following Monday.

Despite it all, Bowers is in good spirits.

“Brock Bowers is great. Brock Bowers is rock solid,” Smart said. “He wanted to get thing done as soon as he found out it had to be done. We were able to expedite that process. He’s great, he looked everybody in the eyes today and wishing he could be out there. He’s in great spirits. He’s got a great family. He’s got great heart. He’s a warrior, so he’ll handle it the right way.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.